When students hear the terms academic writing or speaking in a scholarly voice, they are often unsure of what to do or what to avoid. This page provides some basic guidelines and tips for writing essays, lab reports, theses, and dissertations.
"Academic writing is a formal style of writing used in universities and scholarly publications. You’ll encounter it in journal articles and books on academic topics, and you’ll be expected to write your essays, research papers, and dissertation in an academic style."
| Academic writing is: | Academic writing isn't: |
|---|---|
|
|
The following graphic provides a good list for writing your paper using a scholarly voice:
Write in a clear, plain, style: A typical mistake of newbie researchers is to use a super complex vocabulary or a ton of technical jargon, some of which they don't even understand. Use technical terms as appropriate, otherwise they are considered overkill (and you can't explain them). Also, plain does not mean dull, rather, express your ideas in a clear intelligent manner while also avoiding contractions, slang or casual language.
Regarding the usage of first person pronouns: There are some professors and types of assignments, particularly within qualitative methods, that encourage the use of the first person.
Pay attention to tenses!: For example, when writing in APA style, note that any references to prior studies should be in the past tense and while the tip states the future tense is rarely used, an appropriate place for it could be in a discussion or future implications section.
Avoid speaking in absolutes: Particularly when drawing conclusions--whether it's your own results or studies that support your paper--avoid words such as prove, always, or never (i.e., The study's results clearly prove...and instead use...The research suggests...).
Avoid using the words It and This: Whenever you write the words it or this, in most cases what they refer to are probably clear to you but vague to the reader. It and this should only be used to support what directly proceeded the what.
An overuse of the words That and The: That and the are frequently overused in a sentence, so read it back to yourself and decide if either are necessary. You should be alerted if either term appears more than twice in a sentence. This page provides excellent examples of that for improving your scholarly voice (courtesy of Walden University).
The more that you read and write, the easier it --- What is IT?! --- Your comfort level with scholarly writing --- will become. One of the most recommended ways to improve your academic writing skill is by reading similar types of published works and replicating the researchers' syntax, organization of content, and writing style.
Lastly, don't forget about the Writing Center! You can visit the Writing Center by appointment or drop into the Learning Commons with or without an appointment to receive help with your academic writing. Virtual services are also available for students who are not on campus.
